Mayyada M. H.. Elsayed obtained her BSc and MSc with honors at the Department of Chemical Engineering at Cairo University. Her MSc thesis was on the thermal degradation of polystyrene polymer as a model for plastic waste recycling. She then worked as a teaching assistant as well as a research assistant in a number of institutions, including Akhbar El-Yom Academy, Arab Academy, Cairo University, National Research Center, and The American University in Cairo. Afterward, El-Sayed pursued further studies at Cambridge University, UK, where she obtained her PhD in chemical engineering and biotechnology in 2010. Her PhD was in the field of bioprocessing and bioseparations, particularly using ion-exchange techniques for protein purification.